And Then You Came Back
by Bunny715
Summary: Haunting memories from Sesshoumaru's past come back. Why can't he force them away? And why does this new girl traveling with his brother look so much like HER? SessOC, crossover w DP in future chapters. Rating MIGHT go up later if stuff gets too intens


**I Don't own Inuyasha or any related characters. Boo.**

A thick fog hung low in the sky, clinging to the trees and bushes of the countryside. The humid, stagnant air weighed heavily on everything it came into contact with. Poised beside a shallow lake in a hilled valley, a tall demon with flowing snow white hair stared blankly into the infinite depths of the mist across the water. A small vassal clothed imp struggled a few yards way, attempting to light wood that had been dampened by the moist air for the past three days. A young human girl splashed around in the shallow waters, elated with a fish writhing in her clasped hands. She ran out of the water with her dying prize towards the demon.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Look! Look at how big a fish I got!" Her damp hair flew behind her as she jumped up and down, waving the large fish in front of him, but he was momentarily lost among his own thoughts, his own memories.

_The water quivered and shook violently as a huge azure water dragon was hurled down by the monstrous fiery red form of Akariu. The smaller dragon, blood oozing from numerous gashes and cuts, struggled to rise, trembling with great pain, but failed and sunk back heavily into the water. Slipping into unconsciousness, the dragon reverted back to its human form. What was once a breathtaking blue and white silken kimono with six under layers was now torn and stained red with the blood of the owner. Pale blue hair, spilled around her blood drained face as the pure white lily holding it to the back of her skull fell out, soaked up the water around her, and the shine faded from her lifeless eyes. _

_Knowing that his current adversary would no longer be a problem, Akariu turned to the shore, where a group of human men held a squirming demon child with silvery white hair. The demon bit one, and tried to take the opportunity to run towards the dying figure. "Haha oya!" the little demon screamed. Another human grabbed the youth by the throat and tried to choke his captive._

_"Let the child go," the towering dragon lord commanded. As soon as the hands freed, the demon ran into the water, desperately trying to get to the other side of the lake. The fire dragons talon like claws intercepted, pinning the frail body underwater. The claws wrapped around his prey and lifted it to his face..._

_...Slimy tongue licking his lips..._

_... Ready to devour..._

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" The girl holding the fish had stopped jumping and stared questioningly up into the amber eyes which suddenly snapped back to the present. His brows furrowed slightly as he realized she had been talking to him, and he shifted his gaze down.

"Jaken should have a fire ready for you." The two turned to see that Jaken had resorted to using his two headed staff, in a futile attempt to light wet wood. Sesshoumaru plucked the fish from the girls hands and shoved it in the path of the flames streaming out of the old mans mouth. The scent of roasted fish quickly wafted into the still air, and the demon pulled his hand back out of the flames, still clutching the now fully cooked fish. Much to Rin's delight, Sesshoumaru handed her the fish, his own hand still perfect and unburned.

While Rin sat next to the two headed lightning-breathing beast, Aun, eating her meal, Sesshoumarus eyes turned once again to the calm water. The imp, Jaken, came to stand next to his brooding master, with concern written upon his olive coloured wrinkled face. "Sesshoumaru-sama, something has been bothering you these past few days. Is there anything I can do for you, my lord?" Jaken stared up to Sesshoumarus blank face, no trace of acknowledging whether or not he heard, even though he did.

_Something, indeed, troubles my thoughts. What do these memories mean? Why, after over a century of blocking them out, they return and haunt me now?_ A slight warm breeze rippled over the lake, attempting to blow away the thick, stagnant air, but only provided a brief, cool relief from the humidity. Subconsciously realizing that Rin had finished eating, he turned from the shore towards the trees and the path they had come here on. Aun immediately rose and followed, with Rin in short tow, grabbing the trailing reins. The imp was the last to leave the place where they had just recessed; pondering what possibilities could be troubling the great demon lord.

Walking through the trees and brush, careful not to snag his clothing, Sesshoumarus thoughts continued to wander. His surroundings blurred and began to falter; even his followers seemed to fade into nothing. The mists consumed his being, clouding both his eyes and his thoughts. He stopped, and turned around, even though he knew perfectly well that they were no longer there. Their presence was overtaken by the void, and they seemed hundreds of miles away. The earth beneath him gave away to mist as well. His body suddenly felt light, as if floating with no gravity.

After what seemed an eternity in limbo, the fog began to fade away, but the scenery was different. A large castle loomed above the tree line, more demons leaving every moment into the late afternoon. The river flowing past him on his right was quiet and calm. Seeing his own reflection for an instant, he realized that he appeared to be some two hundred years younger and quite bloodied. Someone was beside him, and he looked up into the seething angry face of his own father, great over lord of the western lands....

_Sesshoumaru had regretted agreeing to come. His father had extended the invitation the night before. The dragon demons of the western lands, the white house of Koumokuten, were presenting the eldest son, Haku, as successor. Being the most powerful and influential demon in the land, the presence of the Inu no Taishou was essential in blessing the heir with authority. Koumokuten's three brothers, each in charge of one of the four lands, were also in attendance, and brought with them their own families to show off. Lord Tamonten came from the north with his raven haired mate and children, Lord Jikokuten and his icy blue son and daughter came from their kingdom in the east, and fiery Zouchoten, ruler of the southern lands came, his mate carrying their infant son. Unfortunately, each of the brothers had another which he despised and warred with. With the blue dragons of the east, their blood enemy was the red which ruled the south. And because the west was allied to the south, the blue dragons were not entirely fond of them. _

_Suigai, the elder of the two siblings, had loathed Sesshoumaru since they were young children. A bit taller, perhaps a half head, with piercing dark sapphire eyes and matching waist length wavy hair, he began to pick a fight as soon as he and his father stepped in the castle. Sesshoumaru had tried to avoid confrontation by the seeking solitude of the river that flowed nearby, but Suigai found him and it began. "I hear you still are at odds with the south. Why do you not go and annoy their offspring?" he inquired haughtily. The dragon demon snorted in contempt, and strode over until he was mere inches away from the others face._

_"Huh! That whelp is but a mere hatchling, not even fit for this ones attention. And because this stupid fiasco is for Haku, he cannot be touched. You, on the other hand," his eyes narrowed, Aare another matter. Word reaches the east that you have become quite the demon. This one wonders," he questioned into the air as he turned abruptly and sauntered to the waters edge, "if that could have anything to do with my mother." He stared at the blue crescent moon that adorned Sesshoumaru's forehead, identical to the one between Suigai's brows. The younger demon made no attempt to answer, but narrowed his own eyes as his anger slowly seeped to the surface. "In fact, the only reason you are alive today is because of her. Huh, she leaves us, and dies for you. What makes you so special?" he spat, whirring around, his eyes now glowing brilliant red with a deadly intensity. His four fingers on each hand melted to two, and his nails extended to razor sharp claws, slowly tinting into a deep blue. Sesshoumaru chose his words as calmly as possible, and took a few cautious steps back._

_"I cannot account for the Lady Raius actions, nor do I have any quarrel with you. If you fight me solely for the purpose of getting back at your family in the south, it will not give you any advantage. Your affairs have nothing to do with father, nor myself. And I will not risk damaging any fragile alliances by fighting you." He slowly turned and walked towards the path which led to the castle. Suigai stayed where he was, but called loudly after._

_"Running away with your tail between your legs, just like your father. Heh, the dog demons really are pathetic, whimpering away from every challenge. How weak." The corner of his mouth curled upwards into a smirk and revealed gleaming fangs that had been hidden underneath as Sesshoumaru stopped dead in his tracks._

_"My father is NOT weak, and neither is this Sesshoumaru." The offended demon spun around to face his opponent, his own eyes furiously glowing, the crisp stripes high on his cheeks now swollen and jagged. A serpent like tongue flicked out of Suigai's mouth. His hair flared and darkened to almost black as it shortened and sprouted down the middle of his back. His flesh took the colour of deep blue, scaling up as his body lengthened and transformed into his true form, a thirty foot long water dragon. "Then prove it," he hissed._

_A feral growl escaped Sesshoumarus throat as a glowing red aura engulfed him. His nose lengthened into a snout and the long piece of fur wrapped around his shoulder encircled his body, helping it morph into his true dog-demon form. Unknown to either adversary, a pair of sky blue eyes that had been watching the confrontation had turned away as their owner silently ran back towards the castle, and their fathers._

_The dog let another growl come out as the dragon hissed his own threat. The two charged at each other, slashing away with their claws and sliding bites in whenever the chance arose. Suigai used the slimness of his body and command of water to an advantage. Just as Sesshoumaru leapt in to swat him down with his gigantic paws, Suigai dove backwards into the river. He forced the water to burrow through the dirt of the banks and emerge from right under the dog, shooting him into the air. The dragon came up in the waterspout and dragged his claws along the dog's belly, leaving six gashes, quickly starting to spurt blood. Sesshoumaru pushed the pain away as he realized he had his chance. Suigai was too preoccupied with his victorious blow that he'd forgotten to distance himself. Powerful jaws clamped down on the dragon's hind legs and ripped him down from the air. He fell to the ground with a nasty thud which shook the ground. Suigai quickly recovered, not immediately noticing the poison from Sesshoumaru's mouth mingling with the blood in his wounded legs._

_They both started to charge for another attack, but were abruptly cut off by a death-threatening "Stop!" Out into the clearing rushed a demon with blue hair tied high on his skull, adorned in magnificent armour. The haori under his breastplate had designs of grey clouds and blue streaks. Suigai immediately backed away and assumed a defensive position as his father's eyes glittered with anger. "Suigai," he growled threateningly. With the briefest hesitation, and one last glower in Sesshoumaru's direction, the blue dragon painfully reverted back into the young blue-haired aristocrat. His legs buckled from the poison and he fell to the grass. "Walk it off," his father spat out disdainfully as he turned on his heels and disappeared into the woods. Suigai growled in frustration but complied, slowly limping off behind._

_Sesshoumaru breathed relief as he finally let his guard down and transformed back into his humanoid form. There was great pain in his abdomen and he deftly stripped his body from the armour that covered it, revealing a blood-soaked haori. He grimaced to think how much damage was done, and how his own father would react. Lost in thought and pain, he never noticed azure eyes return and the owner at his back until—_

"_Let me see," came the cool, soft feminine voice. Sesshoumaru spun around to come face-to-face with Suigai's younger sister. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, icy blue curls lying gracefully on her back. A dark blue crescent adorned her brow, identical to his own. Had he not known her to be the enemy, he might have considered her beautiful. He took a step back defensively, and she took another step towards him. "Let me see," she repeated, extending her hand out to pull his bloody hand from his stomach._

"_Stay back, bitch. I may be wounded, but it will not prevent me from slaying you where you—"His eyes squeezed shut as a wave of pain emanated from under his hand. He sank to the ground, unable to bear his weight any longer. She kneeled right in front of him and quickly pulled his hands away. Her eyes flashed worry for a fraction of a second, and she quickly removed the obi around her waist that held her layered furisode together. He stopped her when she tried to remove his bloody haori. "I don't need your help," he groaned. He lowered his head as the pain increased. She ripped of the clothing while he was distracted._

"_So you say," she retorted bitterly. He growled at her again, but made no further attempts to stop her hands as they wiped excess blood away from the gashes. She wrapped her obi around his middle tightly, preventing any more blood flow for the moment. Glancing around, she caught sight of a plant she could use and got up to retrieve it. She plucked a handful of bright green leaves, shoved them in her mouth, and began to chew on them. She then knelt back in front of the wounded Sesshoumaru and spit the paste into her hand, smearing it onto her fingers. He suddenly pulled away when she tried to slip her coated hand under the makeshift bandage. "You wouldn't want that flawless skin of yours to become infected, would you?" He suddenly smelled a slight change in her scent. It had been fresh, like a spring rain before, but now, something wild had tainted it, not at all unpleasant. _

_He lowered his gaze to her hand as it slid under the blue fabric, expecting her medicine to be painful. On the contrary, it was quite cool and comforting as her fingers slowly massaged the salve into his wounds. He never noticed that her other hand was comfortably rested on his thigh. "Why do you help me?" he asked, not lifting his gaze. "Shouldn't you be running to catch up to your father and brother? They would be most displeased to know you are taking care of the enemy." She laughed her disdain._

"_I am not his heir; why would you think he cares anything for me? My only use to them is to heal and provide more demons for them to rule over. They do not care if I linger here, even if it is with you." She showed no emotion in her voice, but he could tell how bitter she felt underneath. He looked up into her cold eyes, and for an instant, he could have sworn he'd seen something like longing reflected. Or perhaps it was a cloud overhead. She turned away from his blank gaze and, picking up his haori, wandered to the water's edge to clean the blood away._

_She had no sooner wrung out the water when Sesshoumaru's father emerged from the path, wearing a livid scowl on his face. His gaze never faltered as he quickly strode up to his son, preparing to deal a good lashing. Her instincts screamed at her to leave; she had no part in this family's matters; but her feet were already speeding in between the two to intercept the blow._

_He just noticed a blur of soft blue come between him and his son. Why hadn't he seen her there before? His claws were on her skin, itching to claw the one she had protected. Any closer and he'd have drawn blood. He saw her eyes drop their guard as fear suddenly flew into them and she realized to the full extent of what she had done. She quickly dropped to her knees and cast her face towards the ground as she spoke. "Inu no Taishou-sama, please allow me to explain. I witnessed the entire confrontation before I left to inform my father of what was happening. Sesshoumaru-dono had done nothing wrong, and came here to avoid my elder brother, who was persistent in picking a fight. Sesshoumaru-dono only engaged in fighting after my brother tarnished your name. I apologize for my brother's actions and hope this incident does not harm what fragile bond our families have." Her eyes were closed and she was completely submissive, hoping to appease the great lord's anger. A soft voice called her name._

"_Kosame-dono, it is not befitting a lady of your status to be groveling on the ground." She timidly looked up to the voice, and she saw that his hand was outstretched, waiting for her to place her own in it. She complied, and he gracefully brought her to her feet. Sesshoumaru had stood also, and took back the article of clothing she still had grasped in her hands. Inu no Taishou-sama smiled politely to her. "I thank you for tending to my son's injuries." He nodded his head, and then turned to leave. Sesshoumaru slowly followed suit._

"_Wait." She called out soft enough only for Sesshoumaru to hear. She hurried over to the plant she had taken the leaves from earlier and plucked a bunch of purple blossoms, handing them to him. He looked at her, slightly confused. "Steep them this evening and drink the tea. Your wounds will be healed by tomorrow morning." She took a step back, and bowed politely. He looked at her for a moment longer before he turned his back on her, confident she knew he was thankful._

**Bah! It took SO LONG to get this first chapter out! It was longer than I anticipated. Sorry. Hopefully, I'll be able to update once a week, but you know...football season, classes, work, bars with random guys offering me drinks...I get busy doing other stuff. Please review, although I won't beg. It's just nice to know who's reading and what they think of it. Flame me if you want; but be warned that you won't hurt my feelings, any.**


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